Harry Potter And The Black Sheep
by queen-of-the-arts
Summary: Draco Malfoy's older brother, Gabriel, resides in the United States for what the Malfoy family believes to be helping gain Voldemort supporters. Under the order of Albus Dumbledore, however, he's doing the complete opposite.
1. Decisions

_A Note From queen-of-the-arts_

_My buddy Frostie and I have decided that we wanted to write a collaboration. We're taking turns writing chapters. Hope you enjoy what we come up with!_

_Chapter 1: Decisions (by:Frostie)_

Gabriel Malfoy tossed and turned in his sleep just to wake up as his nightmare subsided. He bolted up in bed, still breathing hard. He was in the one-bedroom apartment in the United States that he had owned for the last year, but the dream had seemed so real... The Dark Lord had approached him in a graveyard, flanked by two familiar Death Eaters, determined to force information out of him about his job in the Wizarding part of New York City as a student Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. "But why me?" he couldn't help but think. He had recognized that evil grin under one of their masks: Draco. His younger brother always wanted power. Most likely the other Death Eater had been his father, Lucius Malfoy.

Still shivering, Gabe tossed the blankets off of him and exited his bedroom in order to get a drink of water from the kitchen. He was tall and thin—not lanky, but much like his father except for his cropped black hair. He had stunning blue Malfoy eyes, giving him a darkly handsome look. He had left home at the age of 17, immediately after his graduation from Hogwarts. He had traveled the world: France, Ireland, Australia, Japan, and finally the United States. Now 21 years of age, Gabriel always tried his best to impress his family...little did they know but it was all lies and deceit. Lucius, his father, had never really forgiven him for belonging to Ravenclaw house during his Hogwarts career.

He poured himself some water and sat on one of his kitchen stools, his head in his hands. His family had assumed that he wanted to move to the U.S. in order to join in Voldemort's growing American support group. Somehow he managed to keep it from them that he was here on Dumbledore's orders.

Just as he took another drink of water from his glass, an owl swooped up next to his apartment window. He carefully opened it to let it in, immediately recognizing Dumbledore's uniquely elegant handwriting:

Dear Gabriel,

I hope you are doing well and aren't encountering too many family problems due to the important mission I have given you. I know you understand why you are working in America right now: we need their support if we are ever going to give Harry Potter a chance at finally vanquishing Lord Voldemort once and for all. Your Defense Against the Dark Arts skills I must say are extraordinary—therefore making you the man for the job. Please send me a report as soon as possible.

Best wishes, Albus Dumbledore

Gabe looked at the letter and thought about his current task. He had only begun with his student teaching two months ago and had four left to go to complete Dumbledore's will. He knew he had to recruit more talented men and women to help abolish any possible world domination from Voldemort. He understood the consequences with his family if they found out. Then, remembering his nightmare, he thought. "They deserve it," he said out loud. "If they would do that to me, I can easily do this to them." A glance at the clock told him it was already 3:48 in the morning, so he yawned, downed the rest of his water, and crawled back into bed to get two more hours of sleep before he had to go and do his job.


	2. Routines

_Chapter 2: Routines (by: queenofthearts)_

Gabriel groaned as his alarm clock sounded. He rolled over and glanced at it, 5:00 AM. He yawned sleepily and sat up in bed rubbing his eyes. His thoughts drifted back to his nightmare and the letter from Dumbledore as he got into the shower. It felt good to have the hot steamy water caress his tired body. This task Dumbledore had given him was beginning to become stressful.

At first it had been fun, even exciting! It was a chance to get away from his family and see the world. It was an opportunity to prove himself. He was excited to see if he could make it on his own in a new country. He'd discovered that he was quite good at living on his own, after all he'd spent much of his life alone even when he lived at home. However, the student teaching job was something else! The American students he taught were rowdy, noisy, obnoxious, and often disobedient. He couldn't seem to control them and this exasperated him!

As he got out of the shower and dried his dripping body with a large fluffy towel, he made a vow, as he did everyday, to find a way to get his class under control and make it an enjoyable experience for all of them. "Today will be the day," he told himself. "Today I'm going to earn their respect. Today things are going to turn around."

He sighed as he threw the towel in the laundry hamper and chose his clothes for the day. He chose a pair of comfortable but stylish black slacks and a denim dress shirt with a crimson tie. As he pulled on his socks and black leather shoes, he reviewed his lesson plan for the day once again. He was going to be teaching the students about vampires. First he planned to go over the habits of vampires. Then he would show them ways to tell if a person is a vampire and lastly he would focus on how to destroy one.

His thoughts were interrupted, however, by the sound of his alarm on his watch sounding. He had set it to go off a half an hour before he had to be at school. He had a long morning commute ahead of him and he needed to hurry.

He grabbed his black leather jacket and locked the door to his apartment. Gabriel loved being a wizard but he loved living in a muggle city. He liked being able to live among them and study their ways. He found a lot of things about muggles fascinating. He liked their music, their clothes, their cars, their books and movies. He thought that muggles, especially ones in this huge city of New York had it good!

As he stood at the bus stop near his apartment building he shivered. It was a chilly, gray day and he was glad that he had chosen to wear long sleeves. He pulled his jacket tighter about him and stamped his feet to keep warm. Then he felt the first cold drops of rain fall onto his face. "Aww man," he grumbled, using the American slang he'd picked up, "not when I'm wearing my leather jacket!" He frowned knowing that rain wasn't good for leather but also knowing it was too cold not to wear it.

His bad mood was improved, though, when he saw the bus coming down the street. It screeched to a stop in front of him and he quickly climbed aboard. Gabriel looked about and noticed that it was still early and there weren't many people on the bus. He chose a seat in the back and sat down.

Then Gabriel looked around him and noted that the only passenger close enough to see him clearly was a little old man who was snoring loudly with a bottle of tequila in his lap. Gabriel smiled mischievously and pulled a small wand made of cedar from a pocket in his jacket. He held it close to his body, in case anyone should walk by and see him, and pointed it towards his messy, wet hair. "Beutificous," he whispered. Suddenly the young wizard's dark locks were perfectly arranged and dry. He smiled to himself and settled back in his seat for the ride to the New York City School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Gabriel always smiled when he thought of the school's name. Americans obviously weren't very creative with the names of their buildings… Thomas Jefferson High School, National Library of Congress, and the like. The Lincoln Memorial, Gabriel had always thought was another very silly one. What else would you call a huge statue of President Lincoln? Oh well. As dull as the names of things could be, America still suited Gabriel just fine. He was really finding his niche here and establishing his own identity and he loved it!

Gabriel smiled as the bus pulled up to the stop closest to the school. He hurried down the block to the school building and inside to his classroom. He tossed his jacket into his chair behind his desk and pulled his teaching materials for the day out of his desk drawers and stood at the front of the room just as the first few students arrived and the bell sounded announcing that class would begin in five minutes. Gabriel felt a little apprehensive about what the day might hold, but whatever it might be, he felt sure he'd be ready.


	3. One Step Closer

_Chapter 3_: _One Step Closer (by: Frostie) _

"Now, what do you remember about vampires from your previous studies?" Gabriel addressed his class.

"That they're pale and have pointy teeth," droned a boy from the back, the smart aleck of the group. His name was Brad Thompson. As if on cue, the entire class started chuckling.

Gabe sighed in frustration. In order to mask his annoyance, he smiled. "You're brilliant, Brad. A true intellectual if I've ever seen one. But try to take it further than that. Anyone can add to the discussion." Silence. The entire class just slouched in their chairs and stared straight at him, eyes glazed over. Gabe walked over to the sliding hunter green window curtains and pulled them back with one swift motion. The entire class groaned and blocked out the harsh morning sun as it penetrated the previously darkened room. "Think. What does light have to do with vampires?"

"They shy away from it?" a meek girl named Beth from the front row offered.

Excited, Gabriel fell into his groove of teaching. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. "Exactly. As you did just now." He sat on an empty desk in the front row. "Anyone know why vampires shrink away from the light?" More silence. "Anyone?"

"Because they're scared of it?"

"Yes, actually, that's the general principle. Vampires enjoy the dark because humans generally _fear_ the dark. It's a little known fact that they actually gain more energy from our fear of them than actual _blood_."

"But why do they suck blood then, if they live off of fear?"

"The whole blood-sucking concept is just a way for them to endorse fear in humans, when really they don't suck blood at all. A common misconception that most everyone makes."

"What explains the two little holes in the necks of the victims then?" Brad asked again in the same smart-alecky voice. "Decoration?"

Gabe smiled. "Yes, actually. Decoration. They usually don't kill their victims, just incapacitate them for a while when they put two small holes in the neck using a miniscule spear. It really doesn't harm the victim at all, but since they can't remember anything, they say that the vampire sucked their blood because that would be the most obvious explanation—mainly because they've been know to 'suck blood' for centuries."

"Are you saying what my mom has taught me about vampires these last sixteen years isn't true?"

"Yes, I believe I am. I actually shadowed one once back in England. He was quite wary of me at first, but after a while we became friends and I realized that he was simply lonely." The class looked even more confused than they had when he had started the hour.

"Are you telling me we actually have to become _friends _with them?"

"OK, OK, maybe that was a bad example, so let me explain in a different way and maybe you'll understand the concept better." He stood up from his desk and paced the front of the room. "What I'm trying to tell you is that just recently we have been researching vampires and have learned that if approached properly, they are quite harmless; what they really need is someone who won't discern them just because of what they are.

"As many of you know, Lord Voldemort's power is getting stronger, and it is growing exponentially, even overseas. He will take everyone that will come to his side: banshees, werewolves, vampires, hags…the creepier the better. If we don't accept the vampires, they will turn from a neutral status and become one of the Dark Lord's followers. Sure, vampires have been scaring witches and wizards for ages, but they would scare every witch and wizard, no matter which side they were on. Our job is to prevent them from sinking into the trap Voldemort has set for them."

The class in front of him was silent. They stared at him, most in horror, others in disbelief or anguish. Somehow he knew he had gotten through to them. "Homework is…"

"Let me guess. We have to befriend a vampire and bring it as a buddy to school tomorrow?" Brad Thompson butted in again. The entire class laughed, Gabe included. It was a serious topic, but the comic relief helped. Brad was smiling—not in the smirk he had worn at the beginning of class, but a genuine smile.

"That's a good idea, but no. Your task for Friday is to research the history of vampires and their centuries of exile. Find a unique viewpoint and write about their casting out from society. One roll of parchment should be sufficient enough." The class groaned slightly. The bell rang and everyone shuffled out of the room. "Have a good day, all of you," Gabe called out.

When the room had emptied, he smiled, realizing that he was one step—however small that step may be—closer to his ultimate goal.


	4. Deception

_Chapter 4: Deception (By: queenofthearts and Frostie)_

Gabriel had always hated his family and his heritage. He had known in the back of his mind that what his mother and father were doing in their free time was horrible, but only when he had been placed in Ravenclaw did he realize how truly awful they were. He had found himself surrounded by students whose parents were Aurors, members of the Ministry of Magic, even Quidditch players, and his fellow students talked about their parents' occupations with pride. He, however, had nothing to be proud of. Even his little brother, Draco had already gotten caught up in that evil Malfoy tradition.

He was ashamed of himself as well. Not of who he was, but who he was expected to become. Gabriel Malfoy was expected to pledge his life to Lord Voldemort directly upon graduation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Gabriel had been torn between trying to please his family and doing the right thing. What was he supposed to do? If he joined Lord Voldemort's follower's he would be forced to do unspeakable evils, things he could never forgive himself for! He, naturally, had his share of the infamous Malfoy temper, but he just couldn't bear the thought of actually _killing_ anyone. He'd been in his share of fights at school, but he'd never entertained the thought of _torturing_ other wizards and witches!

Gabriel knew what qualities the Malfoy's prized and he knew the sort of traits that he possessed… a controlling nature, a desire for power, calculating intelligence, and enough ruthlessness to make use of these skills in getting what he wanted. Perhaps it was because of these qualities he feared in himself and the fear of what he knew himself to be capable of, that Gabriel Lucius Malfoy chose to defy his family and do what he knew to be the right thing. The day after graduation, Gabriel joined Dumbledore and his band of followers. This decision, of course, had not been without consequences, consequences that still haunted Gabriel…consequences that manifested themselves in Gabriel's nightmares every night.

Gabriel woke with a start, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath! He had been plagued by the same dream now for many nights. It always started the same way; he was standing outside of Hogwarts in his graduation attire, surrounded by his friends and family. On the outside he appeared cheerful and proud, but on the inside he was trembling. Today was the day he had to inform his family on his decision about what he wanted to do with his life. He saw himself walking over to his family, who were standing somewhat apart from everyone else, and looking nervously from face to face.

His mother's face was calm and collected, almost cheerful looking. She was proud of her first-born son. He knew that she had high hopes for him, and yet he felt little guilt at the fact that in a few moments time, all of those hopes would be dashed.

Draco, his younger brother by six years, was leaning lazily against a tree waiting to hear his brother give the only possible answer he could, that he would be glad to join his father in following Lord Voldemort's noble cause. He was disinterested and paying little attention to what was going on around him. He seemed much more interested in watching a lazy caterpillar inching it's way across his palm before he picked it up between his thumb and forefinger and squeezed, then examined the oozy substance that had once been the unfortunate insects insides. Gabriel shuttered and turned his gaze to his father.

His father's face was stern and commanding as it always was. He looked at the boy with his steely gaze, as if daring him to challenge his plans for his son. Gabriel felt no guilt as all about smashing any hopes his father had for his future. In fact, Gabriel felt little guilt at all about anything unfortunate that might happen to his father. In all honesty, Gabriel hated him!

He loathed his father and all that he stood for! He resented the cruel, tyrannical way he ran their home! He despised the way he treated his family and most of all he loathed the way he always called him "boy," in that condescending tone, no matter how old he got or how hard he tried to please him! Gabriel could never please him! No matter what the young man did it was never good enough!

He felt scorned by his father, the person who should have shown him the most love! A father was supposed to play games with you and teach you to do little charms to make your life easier behind your mother's back. Father's were supposed to be your support when you lost a Quidditch match. Father's were supposed to console you when your first girlfriend left you for some other boy. Father's were supposed to pick you up when you fell down and teach how to be strong and how to become a man. Father's were supposed to love you, but did his father? All you had to do was look at the way he treated his younger son, Draco and you saw a mirror image of how he'd treated his older son.

Then the dream would progress. Gabriel would reveal his decision not to join Voldemort's Death Eaters. He left out the small detail that the next day he was going to join Albus Dumbledore and his followers, but the news that he wasn't going to follow in his father's footsteps was enough to infuriate the entire family!

His mother's face would slowly transform itself from the proud, nearly cheerful expression she had worn only a moment ago to one of dismay and disbelief. She stared at him bewildered and stunned. Then she looked at his father and simply burst into tears of anger and disappointment.

His brother had stared open mouthed for a few seconds, then his lips had pursed together in a look of pure disgust. He looked at Gabriel for a few moments, eyes narrowed and brow furrowed, his spiteful gaze burning into his brother. Gabriel expected him to say something, but the younger Malfoy simply turned on his heel and walked away to join some other boys his age, who were present for the graduation of their relatives.

Lucius Malfoy's reaction was quite different from that of his wife and youngest son. His face quickly transformed from stern and commanding to an expression of utter loathing for this creature before him! His breathing was suddenly shallow and his whole body trembled with rage! How dare this boy defy him? How dare he not lend his support to the noble cause of the Master? He grabbed Gabriel by the arm and pulled him roughly towards him. Gabriel let out a small yelp of pain, which was silenced by his father squeezing his arm even tighter. Then Lucius leaned in towards Gabriel, his steely eyes still burning with hatred, and spoke softly, but the lack of volume did nothing to decrease the clarity of the threatening implication given by the tone of the few words he uttered. "We will discuss this at home, boy."

The dream changed scenes yet again. Once the Malfoys got home, Lucius was even more furious than he had been at Hogwarts. Immediately he exploded at Gabriel. "Are we not good enough for you, boy!" Lucius walked forward and again grabbed Gabe by the arm. This time Gabe was ready and he drew his arm away, making his father even madder.

"You call following Voldemort a noble cause? Do you realize what you're doing!" he screamed. "Killing innocent people! Killing muggles and wizards and witches alike! And you call that _noble_?"

"You'll follow the path that has been set out for you, boy."

"You've never approved of anything I've done in the past seven years! Why should I do what you say? I don't think you realize that I'm free to do whatever I want now. I'm seventeen, aren't I?"

"You'll do no such thing."

"So what'll you do to stop me?" Gabe drew his wand unconsciously. "Kill your oldest son?"

"You put that thing away," Lucius said as he drew his own wand.

"Lucius! No!" Narcissa screamed as she stepped between her son and her husband. "Now you two stop all this arguing…"

"Tell _your son_ to behave then! Tell him to follow the noble path!"

"How much has Voldemort blackmailed you, Dad?" Gabe asked, calming down a bit as he walked towards the stairs, wand still drawn.

"You be quiet."

"You don't know his style then, do you? You don't know that he honestly doesn't care for anyone but himself. Voldemort operates alone."

"I am a loyal follower!"

"Yes, follower you say…_follower_, not friend. He operates based on fear! There's no other way he'd be able to have so much power. People follow him in _fear_ for their own lives, for the lives of their families, for their bank accounts even! I would have thought that you'd be able to figure that out by now."

"You stop talking back to me!"

"You won't have to worry about that much longer. I'm leaving this place. Dumbledore would accept me for who I am rather than who someone else says I should be."

"Dumbledore! He won't be able to protect you! He gives people false hope, and a _noble_ cause…" Lucius sneered again, but Gabe didn't hear as he jumped up the stairs of the Malfoy mansion three at a time. Quickly he gathered up the few possessions that he wanted to keep from his room: his broom, his owl, and the schoolbooks that he had been studying in secret in order to eventually become a teacher for other younger witches and wizards. He piled what he could in his trunk, shouldered his broomstick, and walked down the stairs. His father glared at him, eyes stony.

Gabe took out his wand again. He said nothing to his parents and turned towards the door, heart breaking as he heard his mother began to sob behind him. He turned into the entryway and towards the door. The only person who got in his way was Draco. "You're too _soft_, Gabe," he taunted as he stepped in between his brother and the door. "Has Ravenclaw turned you after all these years? Mum and Dad aren't too happy, I'll bet. Not too happy at all."

"They know I'm leaving. Listen, Draco, I'm your older brother and you should really be paying me more respect," Gabe replied calmly. He wasn't about to let a little pest like Draco get in the way of him doing what was right by moving out. "Now get out of the way."

"No…I don't think so," Draco said as an evil grin passed over his face. "_You_ can't tell me what to do!"

"Since when have you listened to anyone?" Gabriel's patience was dwindling. He slowly drew his wand. "Draco, get out of the way."

"You wouldn't dare," his brother sneered.

"Don't underestimate me. I'll do anything it takes to get out of here. Now _move_."

Finally, slowly but surely Draco stepped aside. Gabe stepped through the door, happy he had not had to use his wand to curse any of his family members. As he walked down the sidewalk, he heard Draco's voice yell, "_Crucio!_" from behind him and he fell to the ground as a searing pain ripped through his body. Fortunately, there was not yet enough malice behind the curse to do any extensive damage. He stood up, bracing himself against his trunk. He glanced back to see his little brother, only just completing his second year at Hogwarts still pointing his wand at Gabriel, a look of immense hatred in his eyes. "That's what'll happen, Gabe! That's just a taste of what the Dark Lord can do to traitors!"

Gabe looked up towards his brother, still standing on the top stair and started to slowly walk towards him. Once they were at the same level face-to-face, Gabriel towered over Draco by a full foot. "I have _never_ considered myself in a league with Voldemort. And never will I ever want to join him. Which means…there is no way that I can betray him. Understand me?" Gabe gruffly grabbed Draco's robes and shook him slightly.

His eyes newly filled with fear, Draco nodded his head. "Good," Gabe said and let his brother go, turning his back on the life he had known for seventeen years…

Gabe woke with a start, reclined in one of his armchairs with the book he had been reading (_Violations of Vampires_ by Cindy Murkside) holding his place as it sat face down on his chest. He checked the clock, knowing he couldn't have been asleep for long. Sure enough, it read 9:36. He had only drifted for fifteen minutes. But still, the dream had come back to him yet again, haunting his sleep. Draco brandishing that wand at him and using an Unforgivable Curse at the age of twelve years had haunted Gabe's memory ever since he left his home behind. Of course, now his family thought he had changed his ways…


	5. Neighborhood Bonding

_Chapter 5: Neighborhood Bonding (by: Frostie)_

Gabe jolted back to reality when he heard a solid _thud_ and a muffled shout outside his door. He jumped from the chair that he was sitting in and threw the book on top of the junk that had accumulated on the coffee table. He ran towards the door and poked his head out to see a younger woman kneeling on the floor, trying to pick up three grocery bags' contents, and cursing under her breath. "Are you OK?" he asked, quickly bending down to help her.

"Yes, fine…" she muttered, "I'm just the biggest klutz in the world, that's all." Gabe smiled and proceeded to pack up the food. She still had not looked up at him until they finished. "Thank you very much," she said. "I can take it from here."

And she looked into his face. She had rather long auburn hair and sparkling green eyes. She looked back at him and they stood in silence for a moment. "No, let me," Gabe insisted as he broke the rather awkward silence and took the two bags she was holding in addition to the one he had picked up.

"Thanks," she said. She walked towards the door directly across the hall from his and fuddled with the lock. Once she got the door open she led the way inside. "Put them right there, on the table," she said, throwing her keys into a mixed pile of clutter and mail. "More bills," she muttered under her breath. "You would think they couldn't come up with anything more to bill me for…" She stopped in mid-sentence and started to slap herself on the head to Gabriel's horror. "How inconsiderate of me, I'm Brooke Donahue." She extended her hand.

"Gabriel Malfoy," he said, smiling sweetly as he took her hand in his and she shook it firmly.

"You the new guy across the hall?"

"Yeah. I really haven't gotten to know my neighbors too well yet."

"Oh that's fine," she said, starting to put her groceries away. "Malfoy…that's a rather—well—unique name."

"I guess."

"What nationality?"

"British."

"Ah." She didn't sound convinced, but dropped the subject. "So what do you do?"

"Me? Oh. I…uh…teach."

"Really? Where?"

"Oh…um…I teach at an elementary school."

"You mean Kennedy five blocks down?"

"Yeah! Kennedy, that's the one."

"It's a good school," she said, gesturing with the celery she had in her hand before it reached the fridge. "My niece and nephew go there. You might know them…?"

"Haven't got the names down just yet," he said, chuckling slightly.

"I don't blame you. It's always difficult during the first few days."

"Yeah." Another rather awkward pause.

"Huh. So are _you_ British?"

"Yes. What gave me away?"

"Oh, just the accent…" She smiled, now throwing a box of cereal in a rather messy cabinet.

"I forget about that sometimes," he laughed. "So what do _you_ do?"

"I'm a waitress. The clumsiness doesn't help much, but it gets me through med school."

"Studying to become a doctor?"

"Yeah. Sometimes I think I'm crazy for doing it, but I'm hoping it'll pay off in the end. As you can tell I don't have much free time to clean house." She chuckled yet again as she gestured around the kitchenette and living room.

"I don't blame you. It must be busy."

"Oh believe me, it is," Brooke replied as she put the last can of tuna in the cupboard and went towards the living room to plop on the couch.

Gabriel took this as a sign to leave. "Well then I should probably get going. It was a pleasure to meet you, Brooke."

"You too, Gabriel."

"Gabe is fine."

"Gabe then," she smiled at him. "I'll see you later?"

"Most likely. Good night."

"Good night."

Gabe turned and walked out the door and towards his own apartment. She was a sweet girl—in fact, Gabe could envision them even dating sometime…but then he realized she was Muggle and that might upset his parents. Gabe paused a moment and a smile crossed his face as he opened his own apartment door when he realized something: he didn't have to care what his parents thought of him. He turned, looked at Brooke's apartment door, and then walked inside his own.

For the next few weeks, in between teaching and sending constant updates to Dumbledore, Gabriel took the time to purposely run into Brooke—not literally, of course, but he would wait for her to leave her apartment in the morning and then he would walk out a few seconds later, acting surprised to see her. He also had decided to take up jogging, since she would go out with her dog every morning at 5:30 a.m. However, he quickly realized that the forms of exercise Muggles used was much more strenuous (and took twice as long) as a good old ride on a nice broomstick. He had tried to keep up with Brooke the first day, but realized that he couldn't. Blaming himself for getting out of shape, he let her go on ahead as he turned back to the apartment complex.

"Either you've been following me these past couple weeks or we have an uncanny liking to the exact same things and are on the exact same time schedule," Brooke said one day as they walked up to their apartments together, since Gabriel had just _happened_ to come home at the exact time as her yet again.

Gabe took a deep breath in. _Now or never_, he told himself. "Yeah, about that…I've been meaning to ask you something for the past couple days," he said rather uncomfortably, fumbling with his keys. "Would you…this is going to sound so spontaneous but…would you…I don't know, want to go out with me sometime?"

Brooke turned to face him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Of course! I've actually been secretly wanting you to ask me out ever since you got here and helped me with my groceries that one day." She grinned mischievously.

Gabe laughed, relieved that she had said yes. "You're still a klutz, though."

"I know. I'll always be one. You've just got to learn to deal with it. Where do you want to go?"

Grinning, Gabe thanked himself for doing his research. "I hear there's a great rendition of _Phantom of the Opera_ playing. Not on Broadway, since I'm on a teacher's salary—but it's a small local theater about five blocks down there, next to the park."

"Oh, I've been there! Sounds great. Well…I work every night until next Wednesday…and I have classes every afternoon but Sundays and every other Saturday…"

"Sunday afternoon it is then!" Gabe said ecstatically. He had hoped a matinee would have worked out, then they could go out to dinner afterwards and he would have more of a chance to talk to her.

"Sounds great. See you then," she waved as she walked back into her apartment.

"Bye."

_What the heck is that weird ringing sound?_ Gabe asked himself as he was interrupted yet again while sitting on his couch grading papers. He looked around frantically. It wasn't the doorbell; he had figured that one out when his landlord came to see him right after he had moved in. He looked and looked until he realized it was that weird device the Muggles call a "telephone". He ran over to the cordless phone and picked it up. "Hello?" he asked. It kept on ringing. "Hello!" he asked louder. It kept on ringing. Finally, Gabe remembered that he had to press the "talk" button in order for it to work. What odd little extra steps Muggles put into their daily lives! "Hello?"

"Hello, Gabriel," came a familiar icy voice from the other end of the line: his father.

"Oh, hi, Dad. What's new?"

"Oh, nothing much, I was just calling to see if you could visit one of my old friends over there in America later on this afternoon. He would probably be able to help you round up some more of the Dark Lord's followers. How is that coming along, by the way?"

"It's great. I've for sure found about a dozen people who would be willing to help in the effort against Dumbledore," Gabe quickly lied.

"Wonderful. You have no idea how proud I am of you, son." Gabe rolled his eyes. "Just a few years ago I thought you were a lost cause, but you've proved yourself worthy of our trust—as well as the Dark Lord's."

_Wait until you see what I'm doing against you, Dad_, Gabe thought. He then picked up the same sleezy tone that his father had used. "Thank you, Father. You have no idea how much I appreciate being back on the Dark Lord's side." He cringed. Why was he saying this? "However, I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to visit your friend today." _How do I get out of this one? Tell the truth._ "See, I have a date in a couple hours."

Lucius sounded thrilled as he chuckled fondly. "Found yourself a nice American witch while on the job, have you? Good boy. It's always good to have a bit of…_fun_ while working, don't you think?"

"Yes, that's for sure," Gabe chuckled, just for good measure. "I promise to go and visit…who was it you said?"

"Wes Wadsworth. You may have heard me talking about him a few years back, when he made significant contributions to the Dark Lord and his followers. A good old friend."

Gabe cringed yet again. Wes Wadsworth was a well-known Auror torturer, one who slipped by even people like Alastor Moody. "A good old friend," Gabriel repeated sleezily. "I promise to go visit him as soon as I can."

"Oh, it's no rush, son. I just thought it may cut your work in half."

"Thank you, Dad. I must get going now."

"Of course. I'd hate to keep you idle for too long. Bye, Gabriel."

"Goodbye, Father."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

OK, so it got a bit romantic-comedy-ish at the beginning, but I kind of like it. How about everyone else?


End file.
